Adjustable and lockable garment hanger



March 9 1926.

E. A. DENNIS ADJUSTABLE AND LOCKABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed Sept. 20, 1924 r FTTQN If a INVENTOR ED VTH AQDENNBS ATTORNEY (H .or

Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

uNirEo stares v 1 ,576,039 WE T e -me EDITH, A. DENNIS, or'sAN rnanorsoo, CALIFORNIA.

ADJUSTABLE AITD LOQKABLE GARMENT HANGER.

Application filed September 20, 1924. Serial No. 738,747.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, EDITH A. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable and Lockable Garment Hangers, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to garment hangers and in particular to adjustable and lockable garmenthangers of a character designed to prevent removal or theft of garments in department stores or like places where garments are displayed for inspection by customers.

This invention is designed primarily to prevent theft of garments displayed on racks or like supports generally used for the purpose and to prevent unnecessary handling of the displayed garments by prospective customers.

The present invention combines. the ordinary garment hanger, and its several improvements, with a durable locking mechanism of extremely simple, yet eflicient character, which is not only a locking means fo the hanger but may be adjusted to any position and automatically locked in that position.

' The primary object of this invention is to provide a garment hanger of the character described that combines a simple. and efficient l ia-nger and a simple locking mechanism therefor which is adjustable and self locking.

Another object is the provision of a garment hanger that combines the garment locking feature and hanger locking feature in one lock and performs the double service of securing the garment tothe hanger and the hanger to its supportingbar or rod.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear with reference to the subjoined specification and the accompanying one sheet of drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device showing the locking mechanism as it ap pears in locked position, the dot and dash positions representing the positions of the lock and the hinged arm of the hanger upon release from the locked position, preliminary to the removal of the garment from the hanger and the hanger fromthe support ing bar. r V v Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device on smaller scale, representing one of the clamp position.

ingrods o an ordinary clamp member, as in Figure 1. Fig. 3 is an edge view of the'devlce as seen looking from the rlght of Figure 1 and members as a coat hanger and the other as showing the lock, hinged arm and clamp members as they appear when in locked Fig, i is a transverse sectional detail" of the lockmechanism, taken at th lines H of Figures 1 and 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional detail of the lock mechanism.

Referring more particularly to thedrawings, the device consists of a supporting member 1, preferably formed of heavy gauge spring 'wire, bent upon itselfat one end to form a hook 2 and; resilient support.

v l and 1 which tend tov spread at their lower 6Xt16111113168 5 and 6. Clamps 7 and 8 formed of hard wood, or like material.

constitute the garment clamping members,

centrally secured to= the extremities of the rods 5 and 6,, their ends being vbent to form hooks 9 and 10, which are fitted into pre pared openings in the under edges of said clamp members and at some distance to their entrant points, in order to insure rigi ity of said clamp members with respect-to the rods 3 and 1-.

The clamp members are provided upon their inner faces with strips of felt or rubher 11. and 12, which engage pertions; of the garment or garments and maintain a firm grip thereon when the clamp membersare pressed together by the slidable. mechanism .13.,

The locking mechanism consists of ablock or the like 14, having openings 15 and 16 for the reception of the supporting rods 3 and 1 and a third slotted opening 17 formed at its front edge for the reception of the hinged arm 18. The opening 17 is some what larger in diameter than the hinged arm 18 and is provided with a counterbored upper face 19 adapted to readily engage the are of saw-toothed formation and the em gaging edge of the latch 22'is accordingly shaped to engage therein and maintain the locking mechanism at any point and to allow of downward movement only thereof.

The bolt, or latch, 22 may be pivoted at 23' further down the locking mechanism is to the upper face, or recessed within the block 14, as indicated at 24:. The latch is held in engagement with the serrated face 21 by means of a spring 25 which tends to normally retain the latch in locked position.

The opposite end of thelatch 22 is provided the rod '3, thereby allowing the locking mechanism to move upwardly and causing the spring rods 3 and d to spread and to release, anygarment gripped between the clamp members 7 and 8. c

The hinged arm 18 is hinged at one end of the hook 2 by means of an eye 29 and extends loosely through the opening 17in the block 14 and prevents the removal ofthe hanger from the rod or bar 30 except when the lock is released and moved to the dot and dash position 31, Figure 1, and the garment removed, and then dropped to the dot and dash position indicated at 32 which frees the arm 18, so that it may be swung ontwardly to'release the hanger from the rod or bar. i

In Figure 2 I have shown a hanger constructed in accordancewit-h the principles of, my invention, except that one of the clamp members 33 is constructed in the form of a coat hanger adapted to support a coat and dress, or a coat and trousers. This construction differs only in the form of one of the clamp members, the locking mechanism being the same as that shown in the other construction and functioning in exactly the same manner. i "Itwill' be understood thatithe locking mechanism maybe moved to any point to draw the supporting rods 3 and 4 together, or spread them, as the case may be, to accommodate any thickness of garment between the clamp members 7 and 8,and the pressed toward the clampimembers, the

tighter they are drawn together; and it is It is necessary to release the hinged arm 18, only when it is desired to remove thehanger from the baror rod 30. Y

It is obvious that I have constructed a device which is positive in action,yet simple in construction, and I wish it understood that the formo'f lock shown and described ma varied as practice suggests withoutdepartinefrom the spirit and scope of my invention, as set for the in thetollowing claims.

Claims: r i

1. A garment hanger comprising in combination, resilient supporting members of locking ii'ieclizinisii'i ttherefor, c said supporting members carrying a rod engaging hook and garment clamping members, a hinged arm mounted upon said hook and extending in parallelism with said supporting incinbers, and said locking mechanism adapted to include said resilient supporting members and hinged arm and contract said resilient members and clamp members tightly against the garment when moved toward said clamp members. a i

2. A garment hanger comprising, resilient supporting members carrying locking mechanism, said locking mechanism being providecl with a latch member adapted to engage serrations formed in one of said supporting members, a hook element formed at one endof said supporting members carrying a hinged arm adapted to'be' brought into engagement with said locking mechanism, garment clamps mountedat the lower ends of said supporting members; said locking mechanism adapted to contractand clamp said garmentclamps when moved downwardly toward said clamps and, when moved to its extreme limit, to tree said hinged-arm.

ED ITHj A. DENNIS, 

